How Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Protect The Heart?
Author: Marko Balašević
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Alcohol activates an enzyme that puts the body under a healthy level of stress and makes it stronger
Scientists have long known that consuming alcohol in moderation protects the heart . And they are now a step closer to understanding why.
In a study, researchers found that drinking small amounts of alcohol can protect the heart because it activates an enzyme that puts the body under a healthy level of stress and makes it stronger.
An enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) appears to help process the toxic by-products of alcohol breakdown. As well as helping us get rid of the molecule that heart cells create when they suffer major damage, such as a heart attack. This statement is shared by the team of the Institute of Biomedical Science at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil and Stanford University in the United States.
When heart cells face stress, they produce a large amount of a compound called an aldehyde, which is too toxic and can damage cell structure. ALDH2 clears the aldehydes from the heart.
Heart cells create a biochemical memory for protection against stress, also known as pre-treatment. When cells are placed at a higher level of stress, they know how to deal with them.
Research shows that moderate alcohol consumption can protect the heart, but it also depends on the individual's DNA. The World Health Organization recommends a healthy dose of alcohol per day, no more than two glasses of beer or wine.
Scientists have believed that lack of oxygen damages the heart during heart attacks. But new evidence suggests that the damage is caused by the metabolism of heart cells, which collapse and oxygen re-enters the tissues.
"In our new study, we observed that the activity of ALDH2 in the heart exposed to ethanol before ischemic reperfusion injury remained the same as that observed in a healthy heart. We believe that the stress caused by a moderate dose of alcohol leaves memory and the cell learns to keep ALDH2 more active, "the researchers explain.
The findings were published in the journal Cardiovascular Research.
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